Uber move from San Francisco to Arizona because of the $150 permit standoff

The DMV insist that Uber should pay the $150 permit to be allowed to operate vehicles on public roads.

By Adam Widmer |
Dec 23, 2016

For the past week, there has been an intense confrontation between Uber and the DMV. The DMV insist that Uber should pay the $150 permit to be allowed to operate vehicles on public roads. Uber4, on the other hand, say they will not pay for that permit as they are not entirely autonomous.

The standoff has resulted in Uber moving from their Volvo XC90 SUVs hometown on trucks to Arizona. This is quite an extreme move for something that seemed like a small matter. Sure, moving the project to Arizona was more expensive than paying for the permit.

"Our cars departed for Arizona this morning by truck," Uber said in a statement. "We'll be expanding our self-driving pilot there in the next few weeks, and we're excited to have the support of Governor Ducey."The governor of Arizona was entirely forthcoming with his enthusiasm about Uber. He said that California might not want the company, but he certainly does.

But perhaps this standoff goes much deeper than it appears on the surface. Perhaps the problem began when Uber came out rather boldly and declared that they had determined on their own that they did not require a permit.

The permit requires the company to disclose the number of accidences and how often the automatic system is used. It is believed that Uber do not want to disclose this information. Over 200 companies including Tesla and Google are testing their autonomous cars in California and have paid for the permit.

---

Have something to say? Let us know in the comments section or send an email to the author. You can share ideas for stories by contacting us here.

Comments

Comments should take into account that readers may hold different opinions. With that in mind, please make sure comments are respectful, insightful, and remain focused on the article topic.